Rhode Island man accused of killing ex-girlfriend, placing her in refrigerator

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island man is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and storing her body inside a refrigerator, authorities said.

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Nathan Cooper, 53, of Providence, is charged with domestic murder; possession of a stolen firearm, a Smith & Wesson revolver; and possession of a firearm without a license, The Providence Journal reported. Cooper, who was arraigned in court on Wednesday and did not enter a plea, is being held without bail. He is charged with the death of his former girlfriend, Sherbert “Strawberry” Maddox, 40, of Providence, WJAR-TV reported.

Police found Maddox’s body on Tuesday wrapped in saran wrap, blankets and towels and inside a refrigerator in the Parkis Avenue apartment she once shared with Cooper, WLNE-TV reported.

Investigators said they believed that Maddox’s remains had been kept in the apartment for several days after her death, the television station reported.

While searching the home, investigators found guns, including a rifle. Providence police Maj. David Lapatin said he believes a handgun was used to kill Maddox, WLNE reported. In court, the handgun was identified as a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson, according to the Journal.

Maddox’s family members, including her mother, stared at Cooper as he was arraigned in district court on Wednesday, the newspaper reported. One woman who called Maddox her sister cursed at Cooper before she was escorted out of the courtroom, WJAR reported.

The victim’s uncle, Marvin Maddox, said he made the 911 call that led police to her body, the television station reported.

“I was at work and I got a call from one of my friends that said your niece might be in trouble,” Marvin Maddox told WJAR. “We called the police and sure enough, she was upstairs wrapped up in a refrigerator, and they brought him out, and it’s sad, you know, she didn’t deserve to go like that.”

“My mom called me this morning and let me know that her boyfriend killed her and put her in the refrigerator like a piece of steak,” Sharmane Jackson, the victim’s cousin, told WJAR.

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